June 10, 2025, 4:40 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Robotic lawn mowers can seriously injure or even kill hedgehogs, amphibians, or reptiles. The animal welfare organization Four Paws offers tips on how to prevent this—there’s no need to completely give up using these devices.
What sounds like practical garden help for humans can become a deadly trap for animals. At night, hedgehogs, amphibians, and even pets face serious injuries from robotic lawn mowers–but there are simple solutions to make garden care animal-friendly. Eva Lindenschmidt, a biologist and wildlife expert from Vier Pfoten, warns strongly about the often underestimated risks. The use of robotic mowers at night can be life-threatening for many endangered small animals. The solution to prevent accidents–including with pets–is simple but requires attentiveness.
Danger to Wildlife–Never Underestimate Robotic Mowers
When robotic mowers roll over the lawn, they seem like particularly practical helpers at first glance. But they can become a deadly threat. “Robotic mowers appear harmless, but they can cause severe injuries to wildlife. Hedgehogs are especially at risk because they do not flee from danger but instinctively curl up. As a result, they are not recognized by the mower and end up directly in the blades,” warns Eva Lindenschmidt, wildlife expert at the Vier Pfoten Wildlife Station Tierart.
Many hedgehogs do not survive the collision with the robotic mower or must be treated for severe injuries by animal protectors like Lindenschmidt. “Young wildlife such as amphibians or reptiles quickly find themselves in danger when hiding in tall grass,” she adds.
But that’s not all: “Pets like cats or small dogs are also at risk. Therefore, never leave animals unattended in the garden while the mower is running.”
How to Protect All Animals from Robotic Mowers
If you don’t want to give up the convenience of a robotic mower, you should use it responsibly. According to Vier Pfoten, accidents can be prevented with simple measures:
- Operate robotic mowers only during the day and under supervision
- Thoroughly check the lawn for animals before use, especially at dusk or in wet weather
- Keep pets indoors while mowing
These tips not only help prevent accidents but also promote awareness of respectful interaction with wildlife in your own garden.
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More Diversity Instead of Constantly Short Lawns
In addition to the acute risk of injury, Vier Pfoten also points out another negative effect of robotic mowers: A constantly short lawn significantly reduces biodiversity in the garden. It offers numerous insects neither sufficient protection nor food. “But in a healthy garden, biodiversity is important. Spiders, beetles, or snails are, for example, an important food source for birds, hedgehogs, or frogs,” explains the expert. “If we take away their habitat, the diversity in our gardens also disappears.”
It doesn’t take much to do something for endangered species in your own garden and make it attractive to animals. Instead of a completely short-cropped lawn, the biologist recommends: “A small, unmowed area in the garden is a real paradise for insects. There they find food and protection, and other animals that feed on these insects also benefit. A garden can be much more than just a well-kept lawn.”
Instead of regularly mowing the entire area, Vier Pfoten advises letting individual areas grow consciously. Even small corners, a pile of leaves, or a flower meadow create diverse structures that are immediately accepted by animals. This includes not only hedgehogs but also bumblebees and other pollinators, which no longer find enough food due to increasingly sealed surfaces. This also ensures a richer harvest of grown vegetables and fruits.
With a few simple measures, the garden can be designed to not only look beautiful but also make a real contribution to protecting our native animals. In a piece of deadwood, for example, an entire ecosystem can emerge, benefiting many native birds. Leaves and deadwood also create a valuable retreat for many native animal species–a simple contribution to preserving biological diversity in your own garden.
With material from dpa